Accenture Midwest is hiring 150 moms for Chicago office

CHICAGO (WLS) -- An international company is hiring 150 mothers for their Chicago office, addressing the loss of women in the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ola Bolton, the Global Ethnicity, Inclusion and Diversity Lead, for Accenture has had an interesting year.

"It has been a juggle," she said. "It has been a juggle."

Amid the pandemic, Bolton began working remote, as did her husband and two of her daughters. She said having flexible work time has been helpful this past year.

"To be able to ask for what I need and know that it will be welcomed, whether that is I need to start a little earlier or end a little later," she said. "Recognizing I don't need to take a hit in my career. I can show up to be a mom."

Accenture Midwest recently announced plans to hire 150 mothers.

"I have 20-year-olds and 60-year-olds working for us," said Lee Moore, market unit leader for Accenture Midwest. "And we need to support them through all stages of their life. And a key moment is when our employees become parents."

Moore, himself the father of two girls, saw national trends of women leaving the workforce during the pandemic and saw value in bringing more mothers into their company.

"We believe that diversity drives innovation for our clients, and ultimately had positive business results," he said.

"All of a sudden companies are coming out of hibernation and saying, oh my gosh, we've lost a whole segment of our workforce," said Colleen Curtis, chief community officer for The Mom Project.

The Mom Project connects mothers returning to work with jobs. Accenture is partnering with them to make their new hires.

The pandemic created new challenges to work-life balance for many women. Now some see the value of finding harmony, helping families' and businesses' bottom lines.